Erin McCarthy Guest Blog and Giveaway

When Rory Macintosh’s roommates find out that their studious and shy friend has never been with a guy, they decide that, as an act of kindness they’ll help her lose her virginity by hiring confident, tattooed bad boy Tyler Mann to do the job…unbeknownst to Rory.

 

Tyler knows he’s not good enough for Rory. She’s smart, doctor smart, while he’s barely scraping by at his EMT program, hoping to pull his younger brothers out of the hell their druggy mother has left them in. But he can’t resist taking up her roommates on an opportunity to get to know her better. There’s something about her honesty keeps him coming back when he knows he shouldn’t…

 

Torn between common sense and desire, the two find themselves caught up in a passionate relationship. But when Tyler’s broken family threatens to destroy his future, and hers, Rory will need to decide whether to cut her ties to his risky world or follow her heart, no matter what the cost…

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Erin McCarthy, author of the New Adult novel True, shares her top 5 Rom-Coms of all time and why they make the cut.

 

1. My Big Fat Greek Wedding because the romance feels genuine and the insane family familiar.

 

2. Mamma Mia!  Who doesn’t want to be Meryl Streep being wooed by three guys? Because I do. The secondary romances are also sweet and amusing.

 

3. The Proposal.  Ryan Reynolds = foxy. Sandra Bullock = awesome chick we feel like we’re friends with.  I’m in.

 

4. 50 First Dates.  I thought I would HATE this movie because of the horrible premise, but Drew and Adam just charmed me into forgetting the tragic amnesia angle.  Um, a guy who spends every day making you fall in love with him??  Sold.  Plus the cover of The Cure’s “Love Song” makes me feel 18 again.

 

5. There’s Something About Mary.  It’s a classic because it turned the whole genre on its ear and made us laugh in true LOL fashion.

 

6. And this is six, but Moonstruck.  Cher is amazing and Nicholas Cage so angsty and dramatic that you can’t help but fall for it.  “Snap out of it!” Awesome line.

 

 

 

Erin McCarthy is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 40 novels and novellas in the paranormal, contemporary romance, and young adult genres.  The author is a RITA award finalist and an American Library Association winner of the Reluctant Young Reader award.  She lives with her family in Ohio.

Website: www.erinmccarthy.net/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/authorerin

Facebook: www.facebook.com/erinmccarthybooks

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7941.Erin_McCarthy

 

 

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For a chance to win a digital copy of TRUE, just leave a comment below. US/Canada only

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This week’s winner!

sherry gladden

wins a digital copy of A Matter of Fate by Ellie Heller and a $10 Amazon GC.

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Congrats! To claim your prize, please email mad @ romancereaderatheart.com (without the spaces). You have 48 hours to email before a new name is chosen.

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A BIT ABOUT MONA, HEROINE OF A MATTER OF FATE BY ELLIE HELLER

Someone is setting death-spells targeting mortals and elf blood alike. With her mentor out of commission, it’s up to half-trained Warder Mona Lisa Kubrek to stop the magic. Despite being told repeatedly her job is to nullify spells and not go after the source, too many people are at risk for her to not track the spell-caster down. Even meeting a sexy half-elf shifter won’t distract her from her goal.

 

Except Cart Dupree is fully trained and has the team to search for the evildoer, so she’d be stupid to not use his expertise. Stupid is something she can’t afford to be, not with her enemy’s henchmen after her. Later she’ll deal with Cart and his questions about her special abilities and the non-standard training her mentor has given her. Right now, they need to unravel where the magician is, and who he is, before he builds enough power to decimate them all.

 

First, though, they need to stay alive.

 

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Thank you so much for having me visit today. My paranormal romance novel A Matter of Fate was released by Crimson Romance on Monday and I’m excited to talk about the heroine, Mona Lisa Kubreck and her upbringing in upstate New York.

 

Mona is full elf, but unlike most elves was not brought up around other elves. Her mother, fully embracing a sixties-hippie-antiestablishment outlook, refused to have anything to do with elf society which is highly structured and very hierarchical. In fact full elves are supposed to register their children in the books at elfhaven, but Mona’s mother refused to do this. While not being registered doesn’t affect her life too much, it does mean that she’s off the radar so her picking up on Warder Smythe’s need for an assistant is surprising to everyone.

 

Mostly to Mona. It wasn’t until she was in college and her mortal best friend, Raine, who knew about elves having gone to high school with many people who were part elf asked about her heritage that Mona realized there were other people around who had elf blood. Raine told her that Folk, those who were part elf, mortal and sometimes other entities, pretty much were the norm in the area she grew up in which is why she knew about them. After she graduated, Mona hung around the enclave in Lackawanna as much as she could. In an effort to learn more and hopefully become part of the community she took various jobs in the area from bicycle messenger to delivery driver to cook. The latter one was easy as she’d been accepted into a culinary institute only to drop out when she realizes her love of cooking didn’t equate to passion to deal with food all day, every day.

 

At the start of the story she’s been training with Warder Smythe for several months and has gotten a call from Raine, whom is still her BFF even if they haven’t kept in contact. Raine is the friend mentioned in the twitter pitch I used to catch Crimson Romance’s eye:

Mona’s life is complicated enough, with a bespelled friend & goons chasing after her. Meeting her mate? Really bad timing.

 

Mona has her share of issues, and wanting to fit in is a big one! But you’ll have to read the book if you want to find out how that’s resolved.

 

About the Author:

After living in several cities east of the Mississippi, but never quite out of the snow belt, I’ve settled down in SW Ohio with my three kids, two dogs (one of whom thinks he’s a cat) and one cat (who thinks he’s a dog).

I write paranormal romance and contemporary fantasy, all with a suspenseful edge. A MATTER OF FATE, a ‘traditional’ paranormal romance, will be available this spring from Crimson Romance. My first published short (GLBT sensual), “Ginny’s Capture” is available now.

I’m also an acquisitions editor (i.e. slush reader 🙂 ) for Curiosity Quills Press using my full first name, Alison.

 

www.elliewrites2.com

 

@EllieWrites2

 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ellie-Heller-Author/279665692092672

 

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5762572.Ellie_Heller

 

http://pinterest.com/ellieheller/a-matter-of-fate/

 

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For a chance to win a digital copy of A Matter of Fate and a $10 Amazon gift card, just leave a message below. Good luck!

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Writer’s Block by Coleen Kwan

Serial bachelor. Celebrity author. Her perfect forever?

 

When famous author Luke Maguire decides to write his next novel in the small town of Burronga, Australia, he’s sure he can ignore the fiery redhead next door. Not only has he just been burned from a high-profile breakup, but he’s never been one to set down roots. No, he’ll finish his novel and leave Burronga. And soon.

 

Tyler Jones just wants to run her business with her best friend, Ally, and take care of her three-year-old daughter, Chloe. She’s never needed help from anyone, especially not a man, and the brooding, rugged writer next door can’t tempt her. Not in the least.

 

Only Tyler and Luke can’t stay away from each other. So they set rules. No staying overnight, no future plans, no sappy good-byes when Luke inevitably quits town. But the chemistry between them is too strong to contain in a rulebook. Are Luke and Tyler ready to risk their lives of independence for something more?

 

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In my new book, Real Men Don’t Quit, the hero, Luke Maguire, is a famous author who is suffering a severe case of writer’s block. He’s months behind his deadline to hand in his much anticipated sequel and can’t find inspiration anywhere. To make matters worse, he secretly isn’t proud of his highly acclaimed bestseller and dislikes the main character he has created and must write about.

 

As a writer I found it interesting to explore the subject of writer’s block. I have had periods where everything I wrote seemed terrible to me, and I felt I was going nowhere in a hurry. On one occasion I spent weeks writing a 50K word story only to get to the final chapter and realise that it was weak and boring, and nothing could be salvaged. I reluctantly scrapped that story and had to start all over again. It felt like I was swimming upstream against a powerful current and getting nowhere for all my efforts.

 

When I feel myself losing focus (and spending too much time surfing the web!) I often find that simply changing location helps. I move my laptop from the quiet of my bedroom into the noise and bustle of the kitchen, and often that’s enough to unlock fresh ideas. Luke Maguire also tries shifting location away from his mother’s house (his mother has recently passed away) where he is constantly reminded of her pride in his achievements. Luke moves town to his agent’s weekend house, hoping the change of scenery will overcome his writer’s block, but almost straight away he runs into his sassy new neighbour, Tyler Jones.

 

Tyler’s never met an author before. She imagines “…writers to be older, with beards and leather elbow patches, and either boring everyone in their uppity voices or swearing and getting roaring drunk on whiskey.”  Luke definitely doesn’t conform to her ideas about authors! Despite their initial prickly confrontation, there’s an almost instant attraction between these two. Desperate to finish his novel, Luke knows he shouldn’t get involved with the spirited and sexy Tyler. But as his writer’s block grinds on, it’s too easy to get distracted with her and her cute little three year old daughter, Chloe.

 

Luke does eventually overcome his writer’s block, but it’s a difficult and risky journey, and along the way he discovers what’s really important to him.

 

I never suffered any mental blocks writing Real Men Don’t Quit. In fact, I had a hard time cutting back on my word count because I got a real kick writing about Luke and Tyler finding love and happiness together. I hope you’ll also enjoy their story.

 

Thanks Fatin for having me on your blog!

 

Coleen Kwan

 

About the Author

Coleen Kwan has been a bookworm all her life. At school English was her favorite subject, but for some reason she decided on a career in IT. After many years of programming, she wondered what else there was in life — and discovered writing. She loves writing contemporary romance and steampunk romance.

Coleen lives in Sydney, Australia with her partner and two children. When she isn’t writing she enjoys avoiding housework, eating chocolate, and watching The Office.

 

Author Website: http://www.coleenkwan.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/coleenkwan.authorpage

Twitter: https://twitter.com/coleenkwan

GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5210210.Coleen_Kwan

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GIVEAWAY!

 

Coleen will be giving away 3 – $10 gift cards at the close of the tour. Gift cards will be good for Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Kobo (winner’s choice). For the chance to win, enter the Rafflecopter HERE.

 

 

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Review – Extreme Love by Abby Niles

Blurb

New body. New clothes. New men.

Used to the average Joe, Caitlyn Moore is overwhelmed when the supremely masculine Dante Jones walks into her life and expresses an interest in her. At first she pushes him away, refusing to encourage the attention of a cage fighter. Then she learns Dante has a love ‘em and leave ‘em reputation. What better way to fine-tune her non-existent flirting skills than with a male who won’t stick around? But Dante has no intention of being a practice dummy; he’s out for all or nothing. Now Caitlyn must accept Dante—violent career and all—or let him go.

Dante “Inferno” Jones has one goal: win the Welterweight Championship. At a time when focus is crucial, the last thing he needs is a distraction. Yet Caitlyn Moore becomes a challenge he can’t resist. When the light-hearted pursuit shifts to a battle to win her heart, his focus is shot. Faced with losing the biggest match of his career, Dante must decide if his extreme life also has room for Extreme Love.

Caitlyn has spent most of her life battling obesity and the social stigma that can go with it.  She never expected a ripped MMA fighter like Dante to be attracted to her. Even though she’s lost 10 dress sizes, she still sees herself as fat when she looks in the mirror and doesn’t understand why Dante wants to be with her. Add in that she hates violence, Dante has a rough road ahead with convincing Caitlyn to give him a chance. Luckily, Dante is used to fighting for everything he wants and he’s never wanted anything more than Caitlyn.

I liked this one. Caitlyn is a heroine with believable flaws. Her insecurities and inexperience with men led to many mistakes on her part but I liked watching her grow stronger throughout the book. And I just plain loved Dante. A hot, sweet, considerate hero that can flip to hot, protective, possessive hero with the right motivation? YUM!

I’ve seen a few references by other readers to some “fat shaming” that occurs in the book but I didn’t see it that way. Most of the weight issues addressed are from Caitlyn and the way she sees herself. The two villain-type characters do use her insecurities to cut her down and, once again (and unfortunately), I found this believable. There are people in the world who are cruel and will attack whatever someone is most sensitive about.

The villainous characters were my one real problem with this book but not for the reason mentioned above. They came across as very one dimensional and almost a caricature of a villain. There was no real depth with any characters outside of Caitlyn. Everyone was either really good and always right or really bad and always wrong. It kept me from investing in the story as a whole.

3.5 stars

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: April 30, 2013
Format: Digital

Preorder:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

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Ana’s Five Favorite Things about Weddings

Beth Chase is too busy planning perfect weddings to worry about the lack of action in her own love life. But if she was looking for a man, she wouldn’t be looking at Colin Pratt. Her boss swears that Best Man Colin is a quiet scholar and science fiction writer who couldn’t possibly cause a fuss at his own brother’s wedding. He’s clearly never met the man in question. Snarky, sexy and more than a little inebriated, Colin is the final obstacle between Beth and the last perfect wedding she needs to make partner. Of course, when she helps him into a taxi at the end of the night she has no idea that he’s only just begun to poke holes in her professional exterior. Colin might have the skills to seduce a romance professional, but can he convince her that he’s the best man to share her happy ever after?

 

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There’s a lot to love about weddings. I mean basically we’re talking about giant parties filled with friends and family celebrating love. Sure, sometimes the food is cold, the groomsmen are too rowdy, someone decided against an open bar or you’re stuck at a table with strangers, but when it comes right down to it—weddings rock.

 

Men in Tuxes. (Or suits or that super adorable thing where they wear jeans and vests.)I just love seeing guys all dressed up. I’m not a particularly fancy woman. For every day, give me a man in jeans, but once in a while it’s nice to them all cleaned up.

Flowers. There’s just something about flowers. For me, they mean life, love and new beginnings—everything a wedding should be.

Dancing. I love dancing. My husband…does not. But we have a deal. He has to dance with me under a few select circumstances and weddings are one of them.  I also love to watch the bride and groom have their first dance, the bride dance with her father and the groom dance with his mother. And I’m a total sucker for the silly and elaborately choreographed wedding party routines.

Wedding dresses.  I wish I could have a dozen weddings-there are so many beautiful dresses. I adore the simple ones and stare in wonder at the bejeweled bodices and cathedral length trains of the more complex designs.

The Kiss. That first kiss after two people have promised to stand by each other, to fall in love with only each other each and every day for the rest of their lives. That kiss always makes me cry.

Honorable mentions: Flower girls dancing with ring bearers. Almost too-pretty-to-eat cakes. Grooms reacting to seeing their brides (or grooms) for the first time.

As a wedding planner, Beth has seen the best and worst that can happen while two people are trying to tie the knot, but there’s nothing she would rather spend her life doing.

So what do you love about weddings? Tell me in the comment section.

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About the Author

 

Ana lives just outside Washington DC with her very supportive husband and three rather demanding cats. She loves the ocean, Indian food, IKEA, and cooking. Ana admits to watching too much television and she swears that someday she’s going to learn how to play the guitar resting on the bookshelf in her office.

Website: www.anablaze.blogspot.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AnaBlazeLove

Twitter: @ana_blaze

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Blog Tour Giveaway

One lucky reader will win The Best Man ebook and a goodie pack to share with the best man or woman in their life. The pack contains candles, Godiva chocolate, Tuscan lavender soap, Sensual Massage Oil from The Body Shop and two lip treatments from The Body Shop. It will come packaged in a pretty photo box.

Click HERE to enter

*Giveaway sponsored by the author. Open to U.S. residents only

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Winners!

Maggie B

wins a $10 Amazon gift card from Christine S. Feldman

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Melissa B, Alexandra Preis, and Pennie M

wins a digital copy of Play With Me by Alisha Rai

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Julie

wins a digital copy of Back On Track by Donna Cummings

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Congrats! To claim your prize, please email mad @ romancereaderatheart.com (without the spaces). You have 48 hours to email before a new name is chosen.

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The Lying Game by Donna Cummings – Guest blog and giveaway!

Many years ago at an orientation for a new job, all of us were asked to tell three things about ourselves. One of those things had to be a lie, and then we would guess which item about our co-workers was not true.

It’s tricky, since you want each statement to sound sorta sketchy, so they’ll not guess the lie outright. And you want the truth to sound a little off, too, so you’ll seem intriguing and mysterious, making everyone wonder if you really do lead that exciting of a life.

I can’t remember what my lie was, but one of the things I thought they’d believe was a lie was this: I had my picture taken with Fabio.

Now, nobody knew I was a romance writer then. Heck, Fabio wasn’t at the height of his popularity anymore. I’m not sure he was still doing those “not butter” commercials. But everybody knows his name, and they would consider that a pretty unusual thing to happen.

Still, I debated whether to use it. For one thing, if they discovered it was the truth, I’d have to explain why I had my picture taken with him. And that had a lot to do with being at a romance convention cocktail party, and seeing other women getting their pictures taken, and, ultimately, being persuaded by the gin-and-tonic I’d just consumed that it was the best possible idea ever to walk up to the cover model and ask for a picture.

So I did. And there is photographic evidence somewhere, although it’s likely packed away in a box with a zillion other things I can’t bear to throw away, but can’t seem to locate when needed. I can tell you I was thrilled, and since this was back in the day when you had to take pictures somewhere else to get developed. . .it was another thrill to pick up those pictures a week later and see with my own eyes that I was standing next to the man who graced so many of the books on my shelves.

It wasn’t a romance cover pose, although his shirt was open enough that he could have ripped it off instantly if needed. It actually looked more like a prom picture. I won’t even mention how his flowing mane looked so much better than my hair at the time. (Note to self: this may be why you want to make sure that picture stays buried for the rest of time.) He was completely gracious and lovely and I admired his aplomb at dealing with all the giddy fan girls fluttering around him that entire evening.

Anyway, I’d forgotten about that moment, as well as the lying game, until I started writing my book for the Strangers on a Train series, Back on Track. It was the perfect way for my heroine to meet the hero while they were on the Napa Wine Train. Only she got a little nervous, and one lie led to another, and . . .

That’s when things really got interesting.

 

Now it’s YOUR turn. Tell us three things, and one of them has to be a lie. We’ll have a chance to guess which one it is! One random commenter will win an e-book of Back on Track.

Blurb:  What’s a little lie between strangers?

A Strangers on a Train Story

Allie Whittaker is in a dating slump, too busy getting her fledgling marketing company off the ground to have a personal life. All that could change, though, if she can get baseball superstar Matt Kearns on the cover of a charity calendar. Except Matt won’t even talk to her.

Matt is in a slump, worried his career might be over. A Napa Valley wine tour isn’t enough to take his mind off his troubles–until sexy, funny Allie plops into the adjacent seat and tells him three things about herself. One of them, she says, is a lie.

Matt can’t resist playing along, and soon the afternoon getaway becomes an interlude with lies, truths, and desire flowing as fast as the wine. Then Allie lets slip one truth too many…and they both realize they’re playing for keeps.

Warning: A handsome hunk, a determined lady and a few glasses of wine. Throw in a little on-the-run action, and what more do you need to while away an afternoon?

 

Author Bio:
I have worked as an attorney, winery tasting room manager, and retail business owner, but nothing beats the thrill of writing humorously-ever-after romances.

I reside in New England, although I fantasize about spending the rest of my days in a tropical locale, wearing flip flops year-round, or in Regency London, scandalizing the ton.

 

Back on Track, part of the Strangers on a Train collection, just released from Samhain. Also available are I Do. . .or Die, a romantic comedy/mystery from Crimson Romance, Summer Lovin’, a contemporary romantic comedy novella, and Lord Midnight, a Regency historical.

 

 

 

Buy  links

 

Strangers on a Train at Amazon 

Strangers on a Train at Barnes & Noble

Strangers on a Train at Samhain

 

Other links

 

Serena Bell website

Serena Bell on Twitter

Serena Bell on Facebook

Serena Bell on Goodreads

 

Ruthie Knox website

Ruthie Knox on Twitter

Ruthie Knox on Facebook

Ruthie Knox on Goodreads

 

Samantha Hunter website

Samantha Hunter on Twitter

Samantha Hunter on Facebook

Samantha Hunter on Goodreads

 

Donna Cummings website

Donna Cummings on Twitter

Donna Cummings on Facebook

Donna Cummings on Goodreads

 

Meg Maguire website

CaraMcKenna website

Meg Maguire on Twitter

Meg Maguire on Goodreads

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Cover Goodness – Hope Flames by Jaci Burton

The first novel in Jaci Burton’s new Hope series!

Veterinarian Emma Burnett won’t let anything or anyone sidetrack her from her job as new owner of the vet clinic in Hope. She let a man distract her once, with disastrous results. But when Luke McCormack brings in his injured police dog, Emma can hardly ignore him. Despite Emma’s best efforts to keep things strictly doctor and owner of the patient, Luke’s one hot distraction.

 

September 2013

jaciburton.com

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Play With Me by Alisha Rai – Giveaway!

Playing for a night…or for keeps? 

Jewelry designer Tatiana Belikov may have matured enough to curb her impulsive nature, but wickedness is still her best accessory. When family troubles bring her to Las Vegas and face-to-face with the man who knows all her darkest desires, resisting temptation is futile. A night of no-holds-barred sin? Jackpot.

Once Wyatt Caine had nothing to offer Tatiana except his heart, but time has changed his fortunes. Now he’s the king of vice, and the king always gets what he wants. Especially when all he wants is her, all grown up and ready to play every dirty game he can devise.

They ignite like fireworks on the Strip, blazing hot enough to melt the best intentions. But their roll in the sheets turns into a roll of the dice, and when morning comes, Wyatt and Tatiana are left wondering whether to walk away…or go all in.

alisharai.net

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I loved this story (review here) and I’m so excited that we have the chance to give away three digital copies! For a chance to win, just leave a comment below. Winners will be drawn on Sunday. Good luck!

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